One
by BlueNBlackRoses
Summary: He looked down at the girl before him and told himself that he would never forget such deep red hair. Funny that she would eventually find her way back to him in the form of a transfer. It was going to be interesting to meet her all over again, especially since she didn't remember a thing about him and definitely when they begin to play a game that never seems to end. EricxOC
1. Chapter 1

_Hello my lovelies~ Yes I know its been ages since I've posted something and I'm embarrassed to say that I'm just now getting around to watching Divergent. What was wrong with me! I mean can we seriously take a moment and talk about how incredibly good looking Jai Courtney was in that movie. How can I look at that tatted body and not write something? My thoughts exactly. So with my small rant over I give you the first chapter to my new divergent story:) Remember to review!_

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_"How did it get to this?"_

_Heat surrounded her, engulfing her tiny frame in its brazen act of defiance, turning her grey clothes black with its evil. She was young, barely ten, and she was afraid. No one knows how it started, or where it even began. But when it became known that the large grain fields outside the walls were being plowed over by fire, every faction pulled from their regular duties to lend aid to the frightened Amity farmers. Even young children who didn't even need to be there. In the flurry of orange and yellow walls moving towards the city, the children were frightened and calling out for their parents, hoping that they might get a response or see their smiling facing running towards them._

_"Mommy! Daddy!" Her head whipped back and forth as she swatted at the flames. They licked her skin like the hot tongue of the devil himself. It hurt her and no matter how hard and how fast she slapped at her arms, the flames would not extinguish themselves. At this point she was convinced that she was going to burn alive, too frightened to do anything else._

_And then her savior came in the form of a man. A Dauntless man with black clothing and blonde hair. She saw him running as fast as he could, ripping the coat he wore from his torso and finally screeching to a halt in front of her. He jerked her forward and wrapped the jacket around her tiny frame, holding her close and patting at her body fiercely. _

_He extinguished the flames and felt the child in his arms shaking violently as he held her. He pushed her away and looked her up and down, assessing the damage that she had taken. She had burns on her arms, but it was nothing too bad. Nothing third degree that he saw. She would be fine physically, but mentally she would more than likely need some work._

_"What's your name?" He reached forward, pushing a lock of the deepest and reddest hair he had ever seen behind her ear. He saw this small girl hold back the floodgates of tears that threatened to escape her hazel eyes, but it was no good._

_"A-Ariel." He heard her mumbled out. Warm droplets began to cascade down her puffed cheeks once more and she felt embarassment resonate through her body. "I-I'm sorry." She began to frantically wipe away the tears with the back of her burnt sleeves but in all her effort only more came to replace the old._

_"Ariel. That is a beautiful name." The man before her was never really good with young children. Being a dauntless mean showing bravery and strength, his natural traits that he was born with. But comforting was not his highest attribute. He saw her give a small smile while she unwrapped herself and gave back his coat._

_Looking around, the man saw that the flames of the fire were finally coming under control and that he was not needed at the present moment. "Let's go find your parents." He began walking away when he felt a small hand grab at his softly. It surprised him greatly and he took no note to it, only continuing on and away from the field with the small girl._

_"What's your name?" Came the meek voice of the little girl._

_Ariel saw the man look down at her with his mouth open, saying his name. But she heard nothing, and soon it was if the world disappeared. She stood by herself in a void of darkness. Looking around she saw nothing, like she was in a giant room with all the lights turned off._

_"Ariel Fallon." A voice rang out to her, but it was one she didn't recognize._

Hazel eyes quickly snapped open as she realized that it was finally her turn. She saw the people of all factions staring at her, waiting for her to come forth and choose her future with one of them. Her nerves caused her to shake and she felt as though her voice had become lost within her own body. "Ariel, it's ok, you can do this." She looked over to a fellow member of her faction and saw that he was giving her a small smile of confidence. "Go." She received a gentle push from the boy and quickly tried to regain her composure. She smoothed out the wrinkles to her dress and made sure that her bun was tightly secured before she chose her future family.

Breathing heavily, Ariel stood. Her long grey dress dragged the floor slightly as she descended the steps of the room in which the Choosing Ceremony was taking place and she found herself staring at the five large bowls that represented the factions.

Ariel felt the eyes of the room staring at the back of her head, penetrating through her long red locks and finally seeing what she was seeing with her own eyes. Grasping the cool metal of the knife handle gently, she held up her opposite hand and gave a quick slice, wincing as she did so. Her test told her Amity, but she didn't feel very peaceful.

From a young age Ariel was always different. She was always easy to spot within the grey clothes of her abnegation faction. Her hairs color always gave her away and gave other children and excuse to pick on her. But when the fire came and she saw the people dying before her eyes she knew then what she wanted. To protect those that couldn't protect themselves.

She knew that she was different. She wasn't peaceful like amity and she wasn't entirely selfless like abnegation. The truth had been known to slip, unlike a Candor and she wasn't a genius like the Erudite. That left her with only one.

She saw one drop of her crimson blood hit the hot coals, sizzling quietly and absorbing herself into them, accepting her as a member of their own. She closed her eyes, letting out a breath that she didn't know she was holding.

"Dauntless!" Screams and hollers were heard from the far right of the room and Ariel quickly grabbed a piece of white bandage, wrapping it around the oozing cut on her hand. She walked over to the members of dauntless and was quickly grabbed and lifted from the ground by a boy much larger than herself. He spun her around while laughing gleefully before setting her down in his seat.

"Alright stiff! You totally made the right choice!" The light voice came from a woman beside her. She was golden-skinned with black hair and a pristine smile. "Girl, your hair is gorgeous. Mind if I take it down? I'm Danni by the way. There's no need to keep it in your old factions style."

Ariel was surprised by the kindness that Danni displayed and she slowly nodded her head, turning to the side in her seat and allowing to her remove the pins that held her hair in place.

She felt the weight of the bun disappear and in exchange several gasps of awe came from her surrounding faction members. "Wow girl! You sure have got a lot of hair!" Danni exclaimed, running her fingers through it from the top of her head all the way to the tips. Her hair had always been one of the only things Ariel liked about herself. The color was pretty, it was strong and thick, and it came down to her bum in pin-straight locks.

"Umm, thanks I guess. Do you have a hair bow by any chance? I don't want to leave it down, it'll fly everywhere." Danni pulled a black band from around her wrist and gave it to Ariel with a smile. The room suddenly turned quiet once more as other people were called up to choose their new faction. Ariel braided her hair to the side in the fishtail style, watching and waiting for someone to choose dauntless, but they never did.

She quickly wrapped the band around the tip of her hair when she noticed that the Choosing Ceremony was over and it was time to leave. "Come on Ariel." She was quickly grabbed by Danni and led outside.

The warm rays of sun kissed at her pale face, causing her to feel a swell of happiness within her stomach. She was dauntless now, something that she had wanted for six years in the making. A new jolt of energy came forth within herself and she quickly took off after the rest of the dauntless group with Danni at her side.

"Hope you can climb in that dress stiff!" Confusion racked through Ariel's brain as she ran with her new faction. But her confusion quickly turned to a smile when she saw black clad men and women ascended large metal beams. "Well don't just stand there a stare, get to climbing!" Ariel felt a large hand come in contact with her butt, smacking it playfully before she saw the face of the man who did so. She watched as he easily scaled the beams and she quickly began after him.

Her slender fingers gripped at the holes within the beams and she found herself being able to hoist her body up with little effort. She saw a hand extended down and realized that it was Danni offering her a little help. "Grab hold before the train hits." Ariel looked down the track and saw the train coming at a quick speed.

Ariel quickly grabbed her hand and was pulled up onto the platform alongside Danni. But her success was short-lived when she saw the familiar grey train of dauntless zooming past her causing stray strands of red hair to wave wildly in the wind.

"Oh shoot." Ariel muttered to herself, taking off behind the rest of the faction and grabbing hold of a silver rail that stuck out from the side of the train. She pulled herself in, nearly tripping on her dress, and sat down while breathing heavily against the inside wall.

"You better hurry up and catch that breathe of yours, because the fun has just started. I'm Ophir, brother to Danni. You got a pretty nice butt for a stiff." Ophir was tall with short black hair and sparkling blue eyes. He had two tattoos that came from under his shirt on either side of his neck. They came up behind his ears before jumping over them in a question mark. Unique.

Ariel felt her face heat up with embarassment before a woman at the front of the cart shouted out to all the members. "Get ready to jump!"

"Jump?" Ariel muttered while standing and peeking her head out from the door. "You've got to be joking. The wind pushed against her face roughly as she saw multiple members starting to leap from the moving train and onto a rooftop adjacent from the tracks.

"Nope! Either jump or become factionless." Ophir quickly bolted out of the train and onto the roof, followed by his sister, Danni. She watched as they yelled and landed on their feet, high fiving their success.

Ariel breathed in deeply for a moment before she ran hard, her feet smashing against the metal floor of the train. Her heart beat fast and her breathing came in ragged pants until for a moment she felt herself flying. She landed on the hot roof hard and on her knees. The gravel tore through her grey dress and slightly embedded themselves into her skin. She brushed them off and quickly stood, joining the others and finding Danni and Ophir.

"You're about to meet one of our leaders." She said, a bit of mischief lacing her voice. "He's a real heart throb." Danni laughed and glanced over to the smiling Ariel.

"And his name?" Ariel asked, looking around and wondering just who it could be. Were they already among them, disguised as an initiate? What if it was secretly Ophir, Danni's brother?

"His name is Eric, and he's right there."


	2. Chapter 2

Hello my lovelies~ Thank you so much for giving me some awesome reviews on the last chapter! Just I case you're not up to speed on the timeline for this story, I was doing it a few years before Tris. Eric's not yet plotting with Jeanine and he's a little more mellow than he will be when Tris is entered into dauntless. So bear with me, I'm going to make this an awesome story!

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"Alright everyone, listen up!"

His voice was powerful, washing over Ariel like a tidal wave, crashing against her chest and causing her to become short of breath. He was intimidating with his gaze as he surveyed the fresh meat before him. With his hardened eyes he scanned each and every one of the faces that was before him. Until for a moment his gaze stopped at one and stared for only a moment.

He told himself that he would never forget such deep and red hair. Funny that the small little girl he helped all those years ago would find her way back to him. She had indeed grown up to be quite the lady in his eyes. She wasn't tall, probably only coming to his chest if he were to stand near her. Her honey eyes still shone against that red hair of hers and he saw that her face had taken it final form. Heart shaped, slender with plump lips a shade of pink and a small button nose stared back at him as she waited for him to continue speaking.

"I'm one of your leaders and will be supervising and assisting in the training that you will be put through. But to become dauntless, you first must enter dauntless. And this is the only way how." Eric gave a motion to a huge hole down into the building, causing several groans of displeasure to resonate from the crowd. Ariel observed the heart-throb of a leader that Danni mentioned only moments ago from her point in the middle of all the dauntless members.

He was tall, but to her a blade of grass dwarfed her and her small size of 5'3. His hair was dirty blonde and shaved on the sides, showing off his ears that were pierced with large and noticeable black earrings. Not as noticeable as his neck though. She allowed her eyes to wonder down, seeing the two very bold geometric tattoos on either side. Even further she traveled down, seeing that both of his lower arms were adorned with ink as well, mimicking more geometric shapes that caused her eyes to cross.

"So….who's it going to be? Who's going to take the plunge?" Eric gave a small smirk at the dauntless born crowd before him. But after scanning the crowd once more he noticed something odd. They were all dauntless born and the only transfer he saw was the girl with red hair. And to make matters even more interesting she was from the gentlest faction of them all, abnegation. He searched his min for her name but couldn't think of it. He knew that she had told him all those years ago but at the current moment he had a better chance of dropping dead than remembering it.

"Hmm. Oh come on now, someone has to go first. Believe me, we will stand here all day until someone does." Several whispers came forth from the crowd, but Ariel saw that no one was stepping forth. Looking over to Danni, she noticed that she was talking in hushed tones with her brother Ophir, trying to egg each other on.

Giving out a deep sigh, Ariel bowed her head and raised her hand as far as it could go, reaching above the heads of the dauntless member around her. "I-I'll go. I'll go first." Ariel raised her head and lowered her hand when she saw Eric walking towards her in large strides. Like she suspected, she was very short next to him, having to crane her neck to look up at the man before her.

Eric smiled down at her, a mischief smile with hidden intentions behind it. "Well then. So you're going to go first? The only transfer here has already put you dauntless born to shame. What's your name red-head?"

Eric saw the girl before him give a slight shudder when he asked the question. She may have matured, but she still had certain characteristic about her that reminded him of that little girl all those years ago.

Taking a step back from her new leader, Ariel crossed her hands on front of her and declared her name. "Ariel. My name is Ariel"

She could feel the eyes of the crowd on her, including Danni and Ophir. Eric took another step towards her, causing her to stiffen slightly from such close proximity. He leaned down and got eye level with her, his face dancing with amusement. "You got a last name…Ariel?"

"Fallon. Ariel Fallon." Eric gave a snort and made his way back to the ledge of the building, motioning for her come along. She made her way to the ledge and leaned over slightly, gazing down into the dark abyss that she would soon become very acquainted with. Her stomach went to her throat and she thought to herself about what a mistake it was to go first. No, that what dauntless do. They are brave, willing to do the necessary.

"Have at it then." She glanced over and saw that Eric had crossed his arms over his broad chest, causing his biceps to puff out and become more noticeable. Giving a look back to the crowd, she saw that Danni was smiling at her proudly and she gave a wink of confidence.

Ariel pulled up the hem of her dress slightly, receiving a few cat calls and whistles as she positioned herself upon the ledge that led to her new home. She gave one last look over to Eric, giving a small smile before she jumped.

An audible gasp escaped from her lips as she felt the wind all around her, engulfing her wholly. Moments later she felt herself slam down onto something before being propelled back up a few feet, only to repeat the process again. At last she lay there, looking to her left and to her right. She saw that it was a net that had caught her and before she was able to even laugh at her situation she felt the net being pulled roughly by yet another person.

"That's some hair you got there stiff." Ariel rolled off the net and soon felt two strong hands under her shoulder blades, hoisting her off the net like she weighed nothing more than a fly.

"Umm, yea I get that a lot." She mumbled back, looking at another member of her new faction. Like Eric, he was also taller than her. His short brown hair and dark born eyes sat upon an angular face with thin lips and thick eyebrows.

"So, what's your name?" He asked, pulling her to the side in case someone got a little happy and decided to jump too fast.

"Ariel Fallon." She felt herself mumbled out, looking all around her in wonder.

"Well, Ariel Fallon, now that you're here you have the opportunity to choose a new name, or you can keep the one you have. But if you do choose a new name you better make it a good one, you will not get to choose again."

Ariel was about to respond when she heard Eric shouting from above. He did not sound pleased with the group she had recently left up on the roof. "I am amazed that a group of dauntless born does not even have the balls to take the plunge fist!"

The boy in front of her took her by the shoulder and shook her slightly, gaining her attention back. "Come on, focus on me. You changing your name or not?"

Ariel shook her head quickly, she actually liked the name she was born with and had no intention of changing it anytime soon. "No, I would like to keep Ariel, please."

"Alright then." The man in front of her suddenly looked back and made an announcement to people that she didn't even know were there. "First jumper, Ariel!" She felt the man wrap an arm around her shoulder as he led her over to another group that shouted in happiness. They patted her on the back and gave her smile of confidence. She supposed it's not every day that they get a transfer from abnegation, let alone one that would jump first.

"Woo! Good job Ariel! Way to be a champ and jump first!" Cried a man from within the crowd. Ariel felt the arm from around her shoulders disappear just as a scream of shock was heard and another initiate made contact with the net.

The man before went over and rolled him off of the net, asking him the same questions that he had asked Ariel. "Second jumper, Ophir!" Ariel smiled as Ophir jogged over to her, engulfing her in a hug that crushed her insides. They talked for a few minutes until all the members had taken the jump, the last being Eric. Ariel watched as he rolled off the net and disappeared from sight, not even giving any of the initiates a glance.

"Alright everyone pay attention! My name is Four. Normally I work within intelligence but this year I have been asked to assist in training, so bear with me for these weeks and we will all get through it." So that was his name, Four. Ariel thought it a bit strange but decided if that's what he wanted to be called then it was his choice and she would accept that.

"All dauntless born go with Tori, Ariel come with me." Four motioned for her to follow him and she quickly looked back and saw Danni and Ophir giving her a thumbs up before departing with their own group.

"If I may ask a question?" Four looked over to her, arching his eyebrow with slight amusement at her properness. "I realize that I am the only transfer, is that going to change the way you do things with me? I mean normally you guys would have at least five or six right?"

"Wrong!" Ariel looked over in surprise, seeing Eric come up beside her and join in the journey to wherever it was they were going. They had already made several twists and turns and Ariel already realized that she was going to have to make a mental map of her new home. "Normally dauntless has ten to twelve transfers with around twenty dauntless born. Not sure what happened this year, most chose Amity and Candor if I was told right."

"Yea they did. I kept waiting for someone else to choose dauntless but they never did." Ariel gave a sharp turn when Four began to descend concrete stairs. She gripped at the railing tightly with one hand while the other gathered up material from her dress. Tripping down hard stairs in front of her instructor and leader would embarrass her to the point that she may just become factionless.

"Well here we are." Eric chimed out. Ariel walked into the large underground room, noticing that there was several beds. The walls were dulled concrete with lights that hung in single bulbs in several places.

"Like I said, normally we would have ten to twelve transfers and this is where they would all sleep." Eric noted, watching Ariel's reaction alongside Four.

"Men or women?" Ariel's question was as innocent as it could be, but she did not except the loud chuckle that came from her new leader.

"Well both of course. I mean if you're going to be training together it only makes sense that have them sleep together." Eric stated this with humor, watching his new transfer as she observed the room and carried on the conversation he was having with her.

"Seems like you're asking for it." Ariel walked over to a bed and picked up an article of clothing, noticing that it was way too big for her. As she was examining the clothes and trying to find something that fit, she failed to notice Eric giving a curt nod to Four, telling him to go away.

"Asking for what? I'm curious now." Eric descended the last of the stairs, slowly making his way over to the preoccupied girl as she neatly folded a pair of pants back up. He allowed a smirk to slip when she boldly gave her answer.

"Come on. You're a man, Four is a man. You can't tell me you've never had suggestive thoughts when seeing a little skin on a woman." Ariel suddenly felt two hands on her shoulder, causing her to jump with fright and drop the pants she had just folded. When did he even walk over here? Hot breath ghosted against the shell of her ear and she squeezed her eyes tight, trying to suppress the shiver that dared to crawl up her spine.

"Well if you thought this was bad I can't wait until you see the bathroom." Ariel felt herself being pushed over and through an opening in the wall. Several toilets were lined up in a row with no spaces between them and no walls to separate them. Shower heads hung freely from the ceiling in a line, also with no walls or dividers.

"You make them shower together?" She gasped out, suddenly thankful that she was the only transfer. She would have this whole place to herself, away from prying eyes of perverted boys and judging girls.

"They can shower whenever they want. This is the way it's been done since the start of the factions. Way before I had any say in it. Not my fault the founders didn't want to hand over a little extra money." Eric walked over and sat down on one of the beds, watching as Ariel walked out of the bathroom and back over to the bed she had chosen.

She said nothing, only picking out the clothes she was going to change into. She held them tightly in her hand and looked over to Eric. He stared at her with a smirk and lingering eyes, finally getting up and heading toward the stairs.

"Hurry up and change stiff, I'll be at the top of the stairs when you're done." Ariel heard the footsteps of Eric retreating but he said one more thing that cased her heart to leap.

"Oh and don't take too long. We run a tight schedule here at dauntless. If you aren't changed within sixty seconds I'm coming down there to hurry you along. Your time starts now."


	3. Chapter 3

Whoo! Alright I guess this story isn't doing too bad! Thank you all for the reviews. They help more than you know. :) Oh and to the guest who asked about a possible one shot, if you would send me a PM I would love to talk to you about it. :) Remember to review!

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He was insane. Cruel and completely disregarding for a person's personal sanity. Ariel didn't even want to think about the thought of him coming back.

"Oh…" She quickly ripped the shoes from her feet, tossing them to the side carelessly along with her socks. She tugged off her dress and underdress, frantically pulling on a pair of tight black pants. They hugged her hips and legs in ways that she was not familiar too and she began to wonder to herself if she had ever actually wore a pair of pants in her life.

An equally tight black t-shirt came next. She drug it over her head and plunged her arms through the holes, giving a sigh of relief when she saw that she was dressed appropriately. With her fear of indecency now past her, she tugged on black socks and a pair of black combat boots, lacing them up and tying the strings together. "Phew, that was close."

"But not close enough." Whipping her head around she saw Eric standing only a few feet away from her with a jacket in her hand. "Good job, you managed to get dressed before anything fun could happen." She grabbed the jacket from his hands and pulled it over her shirt, standing and waiting for him to tell her what she needed to do next.

"Follow me." Eric began to ascend the stairs with Ariel quick behind him. He made numerous turns before she finally found herself with the rest of the initiates in a giant cafeteria. "I suggest you grab a bite to eat and then get some sleep, you've got a rough day ahead of you tomorrow." Eric gave her a pat on the back before slinking off into the crowd and joining his fellow leaders up on a loft.

"Great. Where do I even sit? I don't know anyone except for Danni and Ophir, and they are nowhere to be seen." Looking around, Ariel saw the familiar brown headed man with pointy tattoos jutting from under his shirt, and she quickly weaved over to him.

"Four? Can I sit here?" Four put down his metal cup and gave a slide to the left, making room for Ariel. She quickly took a seat and stared at the food before her. It was all so foreign to her and she didn't even know what half of it was.

She was about to ask Four a question when she saw him reaching for a plate, starting to put several different items on it before setting it down in front of her. "Here stiff, eat up." Ariel deduced that she was definitely going to become friends with Four. He was hard on the outside, a little intimidating, but he was being exceptionally kind to her and she was greatly appreciative of that. Eric on the other hand was another story. She didn't dislike him, she just found herself a little nervous around him. The way he would eye her down like she was a piece of meat made her squirm. And his constant suggestive words caused her to become uncomfortable, but she was dauntless now. She could take it and dish it right back if she felt up to it.

"Why aren't you eating?" Ariel saw that Four was now looking at her, an expression of waiting definite on his face.

"Oh sorry. I was thinking. Thank you for making me a plate of….food."

"They're hamburgers. Don't worry it's good. Abnegation doesn't eat food like this so I know it's different." He stated, taking a sip of water from his cup before placing it back down. He watched as Ariel took a hesitant bite, getting the taste of the food before she realized what she had been missing out on. She ate nearly all of the food on her plate and downed the entire cup of water Four had poured for her.

Looking down at her plate she saw just what a gluttonous pig she had been and heat rushed to her face. "Oh dear, that can't be good."

"No, it is good. You have absolutely no muscle on your body and that makes you weak physically. You need to eat all that protein to help build your muscles." Ariel was about to respond to Four when a new voice entered her ears, calling her apart from the rest of the crowd.

"Transfer Ariel Fallon. Stand." Her face flushed red as she felt all eyes on her. Standing slowly she craned her neck up to the loft that housed all of the leaders, including Eric. The man that spoke to her was of dark skin with a glinting piercing just below the middle of his lower lip. He stared at her with a hardened expression, and she couldn't tell if he was already angry with her or annoyed by the fact that she was the only transfer.

"I want you to realize how important it is that you take note of what I am about to say. Members of dauntless are brave and courageous, never showing falter within themselves. We are the protectors of the city, warriors with heart and strong minds. As the only transfer you have a tremendous amount of pressure riding on you. On behalf of all the leaders, including myself, we would like to wish you the very best luck in your training and to welcome you to dauntless." The man shot her a small smile and turned his back, talking to the other leaders on subjects that Ariel couldn't even begin to comprehend at the present moment.

Ariel allowed a wide smile to grace her lips when various amounts of screaming and congratulating echoed from the walls of the cafeteria. Looking over to Four, she noticed that he had stood from his seat and he offered her a hand. She gladly accepted the kind offer and stood as well, giving a slight yelp when she felt herself being pulled from the ground and into the air by people she didn't recognize. The amount of happiness that swelled within her almost caused to give a full out laugh.

"Alright stiff!"

"Go Ariel!"

"Show them what you're made of!"

She heard several of those phrases and many more, trying to give her a confidence boost before her training started. Ariel felt herself wobbling slightly when she was suddenly put back down and onto the ground. "Hey girl! Look at you!" That voice was one she definitely recognized in her short time here.

"Danni! I've been looking for you since we got split up back at the net." Ariel said, accepting the monstrous hug that was throws her way by Danni.

"Come on, let me and Ophir show you around, you can tell us all about what you've been through so far." Danni mused out, motioning for her brother to stop flirting with a bunch of girls and to get over to her. "Ophir, zip it and get over here! We're going to show Ariel around for a bit!"

Ophir quickly gave a wink to the giddy girl and jogged his way through the crowd over to his sister. "Well, if it isn't the first jumper? How dauntless treating you stiff?" Ophir placed a gloved hand upon Ariel's head and patted her on the head like she was a child.

"It's pretty good actually. I've enjoyed the entire five hours that I've been here." Danni and Ophir laughed and led her away from the bustling of the cafeteria. It was about time for everyone to head to bed anyway, the sun had already locked itself behind a starry night.

"So where are you taking me?"

Danni stopped at a large board that held a map of the general dauntless area. "Ok this is where we are right now, kind of like the heart of the dauntless area. Here's the tattoo parlor, the nightclub, the training area, that's probably where you'll be spending most of your time, and the shooting range, and the Pit. Oh and the transfer housing."

Danni waited for a moment and saw Ariel's face contort with something that resembled anger? No, annoyance maybe? "So this is the transfer housing, where I'm going to be when I sleep?" Ariel pointed to a large square that had the capital letter T and H. "So what's this?" She pointed to a smaller square that had one giant capital E in the middle of it. It was literally right across the hallway from the entrance to the transfer housing.

"Oh that's Eric's room. The leaders thought that it would be a good idea to label each of their rooms in case someone needed to get to them right away in case of an emergency. It's actually pretty cool that he's right across from you. That way if you need any help, all you have to do is ask."

"Believe me, I will not be needing any help outside of the training arena." Ariel gave a slight sigh of annoyance, agitated with the fact that his room was right across from hers. She didn't totally dislike Eric, she just wasn't as sure about him as she was about Four.

"Don't tell me you've already got the hot's for Eric, stiff." If Ariel could have choked on air she would have that very moment. Ophir grinned down at her flushing face, laughing loudly at how a simple comment could unravel her so easily. "She does! Look sis! Oh that's funny."

She was shell-shocked for a moment, trying to process what exactly was going through his mind when he said such a statement. "For your information I have no such thing for that man, nor will I ever! Now if you will excuse me I'm going back to my room. I'm going to shower and get a good night's sleep because I have training tomorrow and I don't want to walk around like a zombie."

Danni chuckled alongside Ophir and waved Ariel goodbye. "He was just joking Ariel! Don't take it seriously!" Danni shouted, giving her brother a small smack for embarrassing Ariel on her first day here. "Be nice to her you moron! Besides, you don't need to be making comment like that anyways, if Eric hears anything like that it'll make it harder on her during her training."

"What about Eric?" Spinning around Danni saw that it was Eric smiling at her and Ophir. She stood silent for a moment, trying to think of a way to not get Ariel in trouble for something her idiot brother had said.

"Cat got your tongue initiate? Go on, spit it out." Eric cast his look between the both of them, waiting patiently for them to say whatever it was they were before.

"We were just talking about how strange it is to have only one transfer this year. It must be a challenge since you're overseeing the training with Four." Ophir quickly spat out, giving the smallest hint of a smile and hoping that Eric would take the bait.

"It will be different. Speaking of which, where did our little red-head run off to? Do you know?" Eric watched the panicked expression resonate on the siblings face and he spoke to them in a very serious tone. "Do not lie to me now."

Giving a sigh of defeat, Danni pointed down the hallway in which Ariel had taken. "She was going back to the transfer housing. She said she was going to shower and get some sleep before her first day of training tomorrow…sir."

Eric said nothing more to the siblings, he merely turned on his heel and began his way back to his own room, intending to get a good night's sleep himself. He thought it ironic that it was directly across from the transfer housing and he inwardly smirked, wondering about the mishaps and possibilities that awaited him in his near future.


	4. Chapter 4

So this is not the original chapter 4 I had wrote. My flash drive got fried and it erased everything! So without further ado here's chapter four! Remember to review!

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"_Ariel, don't take those words seriously. You have beautiful hair." Ariel sighed as she felt the thing fingers of her mother coming through her red locks, pulling them back into the bun that abnegation women was known for._

"_But it's every day! It hurts my feelings. I've been looking around for someone else with hair line mine but I'm the only one." A small tear slipped from the child's eyes, falling to the floor with a small splash._

"_Oh honey. Look at me." Ariel felt her mother turn her around, bending down to her height before flashing her a smile. "You are the most beautiful_ _I have ever seen in my life. You are kind and caring, and any person would be lucky to have you as a friend. Don't let the silly words of jealous people bring you down. Instead, take those words and let them make you stronger."_

"Rise and shine initiate!" Ariel awoke with a jolt at the sound of metal being harshly banged against metal. Rubbing her eyes once or twice she saw Eric holding a cup in his hand. He walked over to her cot and began hitting the cup against the head railing, causing the loud noise to resonate through Ariel's ears.

"I'm up! I'm up!" Ariel pushed the covered off of her body and sat up on the bed, waiting for Eric to either say what needed to be said or to shove off so she could get dressed."Someone isn't a morning person. I want you in the pit. You got two minutes or I'm coming back."

Eric left and Ariel quickly sprang into action like she had the day before. She threw on her pants, shirt, jacket, socks and shoes in record time. Grabbing a black hair band from the pocket of her jacket, she had left it there on purpose, she began to quickly braid her long hair to the side.

As she jogged into the pit, she saw Eric and Four conversing to each other, shrugging their shoulder and acting as if they were almost confused about something. "There she is. Take it away."

Ariel stopped in front of the two men, gazing at her surroundings. The pit was truly a masterpiece of the land. She had read in a book once that before the war marble was a pricey item. And yet here they stood in a giant chasm of it like it was free dirt.

"Alright Ariel, listen up. You're training starts today, and because you're the only transfer it's going to be a lot different than what we normally do." Four spoke to her sternly, wanting her to really understand the gravity of the single-transfer situation. Ariel gave a nod, showing that she understood.

"Usually when we train our transfers, they train together as a single unit. This allows for us to see how they act towards each other and it also gives them someone to spar with. You don't have that." Eric stepped forward, wearing a short-sleeved t-shirt and a vest over it. Ariel could tell that this was a new type of serious emotion that he was exhibiting and she thought it best to just keep her mouth shut and nod.

Eric continued his explanation and came up to stand beside Four. "There are two types of training that we do here at Dauntless and you are going to go through both of them." Eric gave a look over to Four, and Four picked up where Eric had left off.

"The first stage of your training will be the physical part. We're going to build your endurance, build your tolerance to pain. We're going to break your body and push it past its limits. By the time it's over you're going to have muscles aching that you never knew existed." Ariel gave a slight nod, somewhat scared of what she had gotten herself into. Once again Eric chimed in and continued where Four had stopped. "The second part is the mental part. You'll learn to control your emotions and take down your deepest ad darkest fears. We put you through it every day until you're able to seize them and control them. Most people have about a good ten to fifteen locked away somewhere." Eric walked over to her and looked Ariel dead in the eyes, a small smirk on his face. "I'm curious stiff, what's a former member of abnegation got to be afraid of."

Ariel stared back at him before directing her eyes to the ground, thinking deeply of what truly terrified her in life. Several seconds went by before a ghost of a murmur escaped her pale lips. "Fire."

"What?" Four had crossed his arms over his chest, and listened close to Ariel's answer, but it was so faint he wasn't able to understand what she said.

"Fire. My worst fear is fire." Ariel cleared her throat, seeing to two mean look at her with baffled faces before Four asked her another question. "Do you know why? Most people have a pretty good idea where their fears originated from."

"The Amity grain field fire. I was young, ten maybe, when I somehow managed to get sucked into it." Ariel gave a shaky breath, not fond of reliving her worst nightmare.

"Oh yea, I remember that. Dauntless came down and helped a bunch of the farmers out. We got women and children away from the fire before the burned." Eric mused, watching Ariel to see if his words caused a spark of remembrance within her mind. "How much do you remember of it?" Eric wondered aloud.

Ariel thought hard, only remembering bits and pieces of the day. She had pushed so much of it from her mind, and soon it would be fresh and every day she would relive it. "I-I remember the heat, the screams, the burn I had. And the man that saved me."

Ariel didn't notice but Eric became very attentive to the words she spoke. He told himself he would never forget her and her hair, but she was younger than him at the time and he wondered if she would remember at all. "The man had blonde hair and his name was…what was his name? I don't remember, but he carried me away from the fire that day. He gave me my life back."

There was a short moment of silence before Eric patted Four on the back and gave Ariel a smirk. "Well that was all great and mushy but you've got work to do and I've got work to do. Whip her into shape." Eric walked out of the pit, leaving Four and Ariel alone. Ariel admitted to herself that she was very nervous about training and she felt as though she would be graded harder because of being the only transfer.

"So how is it going to work? With me being the only transfer and all." Ariel felt freer around Four and felt like she wouldn't be punished or looked down upon for asking a question. Four began walking away and motioned for Ariel to follow.

"The leaders decided that every week you would have a different trainer. This week it's me and next week it could be Eric or Tori or someone else, I don't know. But by doing this it will allow us all to keep track of your progress and it will teach you several different skills. It's actually a bit of a blessing." Four lead Ariel to a large warehouse with tall ceilings and multiple windows at the top of the walls. Lights kept the large room bright but the training area had a certain sense of dread around it.

"I can deal with that. So what's first, since you're with e the first week." Ariel asked, taking off her jacket and leaving her only in her shirt.

"Every trainer is going to be different, but when you're with me you're going to do several warm-ups to loosen your body. You're going to start by running five laps around the room. Then it's a thirty second wall plank. After that you're going to hold a twenty pound ball over your head for three minutes, then it's a sixty second wall plank and another five laps." Four once again crossed his arms over his broad chest and looked at her expectantly.

Ariel was confused for a moment before Fours voice became loud and aggressive. "Well don't just stand there, go! Run five laps!" Four pointed to the nearest wall and Ariel quickly took off, not expecting him to be so forceful all of a sudden. As she ran, she could already feel her chest tightening, her body wasn't used to exercising in general. Abnegation never ran and hardly did things like lifting weights. Lap one and two went by alright, but lap three was a bit harder. Her breathing became more ragged and her legs had begun to burn. Lap four came around and Ariel felt her chest hurt with every breath. By the time she had hit lap five she felt as though her legs were going to run away without her."

"Good job Ariel! Thirty second wall plank now!"

Ariel stopped and went over to where Four was, slightly scared that she was going to get in trouble for not knowing what a wall plank was. "W-What's a wall plank?"

Four nodded his head, understanding that she probably didn't have a clue on some of the terms he was suddenly throwing at her. Four pressed his back to the wall and slid down half-way, making it appear as though he was sitting on an invisible chair. "Do this for thirty seconds." He watched as Ariel assumed the position and he began counting down in his head.

Ariel immediately felt her muscles working and she wondered how a position so simple could cause such pain. She gripped at her legs and let out a slight grunt of strain. "Come on Ariel, you're doing well, fifteen more seconds." Ariel listened hard to the words of encouragement that Four was trying to give her. Her legs were on fire and she thought that her heart was about to beat straight from her chest.

"Time!"

Ariel quickly allowed herself to fall flat on her butt, relishing in the ground and all the support it was giving her. "Get up, can't stop now." Getting back onto her feet Ariel watched as Four handed her a large metal ball with two handles on the side.

"Hold this above your head for three minutes." Ariel gave a deep breath, accepting the large ball and holding it steady before lunging it up and over her head."

She saw that Four had started a time on a watch that he was holding. "Can I ask a question?" Ariel gave a slight grunt, adjusting her hands on the handles and getting a better grip. "You can do anything as long as you're doing the exercise." Four gave his response along with a one minute down. Two more minutes to go and Ariel already felt like she was about to crack her skull open with twenty pounds of metal."

"Is it unfair for me? Unfair that because I'm the only transfer I'm literally getting one on one instruction?" Ariel grunted and bent her head down, looking at the ground while breathing hard.

She noticed Four's expression and saw that it was slightly amused. "You think you're getting special treatment?"

"Am I not?"

Giving a small chuckle Four told her that she had sixty seconds left. "If you want to look at it that way then you are getting special treatment. But look at it this way, we didn't tell you this before but even though you're a transfer you're being ranked together with the dauntless born initiates. Time!" Ariel threw down the ball and began to wave her arms around, trying to get the jelly-like feeling out of them.

"What are you talking about?"

"I'll explain while you do your sixty second wall plank." Walking over to a wall, Ariel quickly began her plank and four continued his explaining. "You're being ranked together with the dauntless born initiates. See that board over there?" Ariel focused her attention away from her shaking legs and onto a large board near one of the center columns in the room.

"That board is what tells the rankings of each initiate. You're the only transfer so you automatically are going to have a harder time keeping up. Time! Five laps and you can take a break. Go!" Ariel pushed herself from the wall and willed herself to start running. She nearly fell when she made the first turn. Her legs went from being on fire to going completely numb.

This training was ridiculous and she was only with Four. Ariel groaned at the thought of having Eric as her instructor, he would probably beat her into the ground just to pick her back up and throw her back down.

Ariel managed to complete all the laps and she walked over to where Four was. She saw that he was now holding a cold bottle of water and he mouth began to instantly water. She nearly broke Fours hand off when he offered her the water. She sat down and gulped the water like it would be her last bottle in life. She saw Four sit down across from her and he motioned for her to stretch her leg out toward him. She complied and he grabbed her leg, bringing it beside him before stretching it out and making her wince.

"Oww! What's that going to do!" Ariel placed a hand on her sire thigh and Four laughed, pressing her foot towards herself.

"Flexibility is also a favorable trait within dauntless. But like I was saying, you'll be ranked with the dauntless born. Ranking determines what position you will have when you're training is over with. Leadership, intelligence, making sure the factionless don't kill each other or guarding the fence."

Ariel was about to respond when she allowed another hiss of pain to erupt from her mouth. Another amused voice made itself known and she saw Eric striding up towards the pair. "Trust me, you do not want to guard the fence. Imagine standing in the spot for eight to twelve hours a day."

Four grabbed Ariel's opposite ankle and began to do the same thing to it as he did the other. She made a face of displeasure and Eric laughed at her. "You better toughen up stiff, this is only the beginning. By the time we're done with you you'll be a whole new person."

A whole new person….that's exactly the words Ariel was hoping for.


	5. Chapter 5

Oh my goodness! Things aren't going quite as planned right now but I am totally ok with the turn this story is taking. Needless to say, I'm super excited about it! So remember to review and if you have any questions or maybe a scene that you would like to see take place in the story, shoot me a PM or send it through a review. I'll try to make it happen. :)

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"Alright, give me the rundown. How's she doing?" Eric sat across from Four in his apartment like room. With high ceilings and floor to roof windows, the place offered a fair amount of light. He watched as Four picked up some papers and breathed out a puff of air before reading him the results of their only transfer, the red-head that everyone in the faction seemed to know about as of late. She was becoming rather popular within the faction, and Eric felt a slight twinge of something within his stomach.

"Pretty good actually. I mean I was watching her yesterday and she's really catching onto things. Not only that, but her body has an amazing metabolism. Her core's tightening, her legs and arms are already becoming toned and her endurance is getting better every day. I wouldn't be surprised if she succeeded in taking on the challenges in the other warehouse. And her fighting skills..." Four let out a small chuckle when he thought of Ariel fighting against a much larger opponent the other day.

Eric arched his pierced brow, curiosity now streaming through his mind. He leaned forward on the couch he sat on, a clipboard and pen in his hand. "What about her fighting skills? She's been here a month, she should be getting into a rhythm by now."

Four stopped his laughing and straightened up on the chair he was sitting in. His dark eyes stared into Eric's and a small silence was heard before Four finally explained himself. "I've noticed that when she fights someone she knows is stronger that her, she...leeches onto them."

Eric's mind immediately went into overdrive and the confusion hit a new high. "She...leeches."

Four saw that his choice of words wasn't exactly the best in the world and he ban to elaborate. "I've never seen it before, it's childish and very effective. She went up against Toja the other day. Toja is at least a hundred pounds heavier than her and she took him down."

Eric had to admit to himself that he as slightly impressed with that new information. He had been training Toja and the other dauntless born this past week. They were doing well, so for him to hear that Ariel was able to beat Toja, it was definitely news to him. Pleasant news at least.

"Yea. I know. But my week has ended with her and yours has begun. The sun should be up soon so I'm going to get the dauntless born. Have fun with Ariel." Four got up from the chair and left Eric's apartment, shutting the door behind him.

Eric gave a groan as he stretched out his legs, his baggy sweatpants offering him a free range of movement. Movement he would need for the days training with his only transfer. "Alright, let's go." Eric quickly grabbed a form-fitting tank top and exited his apartment. He made a sharp left turn and was immediately at the staircase of the transfer housing.

"Hey stiff, get ready!" But as he shouted down the stairs he didn't hear a response from Ariel. Descending the stairs he was greeting with a warmth that could only come from one thing. A hot, steaming shower.

And a voice that wafted through the steam in an enchanting melody that Eric thought deadly.

_"Are you, are you? Coming to the tree? They strung up a man, they say who murdered three. Strange things did happen here, no stranger would it be. If we met, at midnight, in the hanging tree."_

Slowly, Eric stepped down the concrete stairs, listening to the words that Ariel sung to herself and now without her knowledge, him. Since the moment he saw her in the fire that day, Eric was captivated. Even though she was a little girl at the time and himself only a young teenager, he found her incredibly beautiful. But things have changed.

Eric had changed and not entirely for the good. Liking had turned to lust, and once pleasant thoughts had turned into fantasies that he would tell no one about. Many times he had tried to deny the lucid images that ran through his mind, but no matter how hard he tried they would not fade.

And now he was in a situation that truly tested his self-control. Ariel was in the shower. Alone. Bare. Free for the world to see, including him.

_"Are you, are you? Coming to the tree? The dead man called out, for his love to flee. Strange things did happen here, no stranger would it be. If we met, at midnight, in the hanging tree."_

Eric walked forward, the steam of the room starting to form a thin film along the biceps of his arms. He had just stepped off the last step when the water was shut off and the delicate voice of Ariel had ceased its melody. Eric quickly jogged up the stairs before Ariel emerged from the other side of the wall, and he breathed in deep.

Eric let a smirk form on his face at the current thought of himself. He was a man for crying out loud. Not some skittish boy who was afraid to see anything. He. was. a. man. And he was definitely not afraid. Eric once again descended the stairs and saw the thing that was constantly on his mind anymore.

She stood with a black towel wrapped securely around her body, the length of it stopping at the middle of her thighs. Her deep hair was dripping with water down her back and Eric watched a droplet roll from her shoulder, down her arm and off of her knuckle before splashing down onto the floor below.

Her legs looked as though they were soft as silk. Smooth to the touched and becoming toned with muscle from her daily training. Eric chuckled loud, enough for Ariel to hear him. "Nice legs stiff."

Ariel froze and she felt her breathe leave her entire body. Of course it was Eric, why wouldn't it be? For month now he had always seemed to be in the right place at the wrong time. She clutched the towel closer to her body and whipped her head around to see Eric leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. She saw his muscles bulging under his tight tank top and she inwardly groaned at the thought of him training her for the next week.

He was originally suppose to train her at week two, but he got caught up with a bunch of leadership areas that needed to be attended too. But now she was all his.

"Get out. Now." Ariel scolded, glaring at the man before her and wishing he would just evaporate into thin air.

"And miss the show? Any smart man would stay." Eric pushed himself from the wall and began to walk over to Ariel. She started to take a step back, but he pointed a finger at her and hardened his face.

"Uh-uh. You're afraid right now. You need to calm yourself and face your fears. If you take one step anywhere before I leave, then today your training will be worse than hell." Eric's deep voice vibrated her very being and Ariel let out a small gasp. She kept her eyes focused on him as she walked closer, staring her down like she was a piece of meat.

She closed her eyes, tilting her head to the ground. This was awful. as he even allowed to do this? Can't it be classified as sexual harassment or something? No, Eric was a leader, and leader could do anything they wanted to.

"You know, Four was giving you a lot of credit before I came down here. He said you took on Toja the other day." Eric spoke in a hushed voice, and traced the tips of his fingers over Ariel bare shoulders. She flinched at the unwanted contact and remained silent.

"He also said that you managed to win against him. That true?" Ariel nodded her head slowly, her eyes still closed. She felt the heat of Eric's body closer to her now, like he was about to swallow her whole.

"What was that? I didn't hear your answer stiff." Eric now had both of his hands on her shoulders and her body stiffened to the point that if she moved she would break clean in half.

"Yes. I beat Toja yesterday." Eric smirked down at the trembling girl. He knew that she felt awkward around him but he never expected this much of a reaction. She was literally becoming putty in his hands. He allowed his hands to slide from her shoulders and over her arms. He felt the goose bumps form under his palm and he leaned forward, breathing lightly in between her shoulder blades.

Her heart fluttered. She could feel his warm breath ghosting over her damp skin and she silently wondered to herself just what he was going to do. Ariel wouldn't deny that she had felt a certain attraction for the dauntless leader. But at the same time, she hated him with every fiber of her being. She was caught in a trap of hate and love. Did she enjoy what he was doing to her right now?

Yes.

Did she like being treated like this by him? The feeling of helplessness? Did she like being _overpowered _by him?

Oh yes.

But then in the back of her mind she wanted something else. Did she want to watch him, the Dauntless leader Eric, _squirm?_ Did she want to make him feel like he was about to explode from things he didn't understand? Did she want to _dominate his mind?_

Absolutely.

Ariel felt the soft lips of Eric press against the skin in between her shoulder blades, his tongue peeking between his lips and gently dragging itself over to her right shoulder. She felt Eric's mouth twist into a devilish smile and before Ariel could control herself she felt her left elbow collide with the side of Eric's head.

Eric certainly didn't see that one coming. He brought his head up to the side of his jaw, holding it firmly and feeling a small trickle of blood dribbling down his chin. Ariel was no longer shivering with fear, now she stood tall with anger flashing across her hazel eyes.

"What's your deal!" Ariel screamed at Eric, seeing his facial expression of shock for he hadn't expecting the shy girl in front of him to try and break his jaw. "Do you think that you can just parade around and whatever you want! It doesn't work like that! Gah, you are such a typical...jerk of a man!"

Eric's eyes flashed with a rage all his own and he steamed forward, taking Ariel by her wrist and roughly shoving her against the nearest wall and pinning her arms above her head. "You better watch what you say to me initiate. After all I am your trainer for the next week."

"You think that matters to me? What happens out there and in here are two completely different things. Out there you will be my trainer, in here your just a man."

"This man is about to ruin your world if you keep up that mouth of yours, _Ariel._" Eric pushed his head between the juncture of her neck and her shoulder and breathed deep. "If I wanted, I could do anything I wanted to you. Whether it's out there or in here."

Ariel pursed her lips together, trying to shove Eric away from her, but she was afraid that too much movement would cause her towel to loosen and fall. Eric placed a small skill to Ariel neck, sucking lightly and holding tight as she fought against him. He released her neck and her body and backed away, seeing the slightly flushed faced of Ariel before him.

Ariel's hand immediately went to her neck and she covered the new purple bruise that would take at least a few days to go away. Eric turned without a word an began to ascend the stairs when Ariel hardened voice stopped him.

"You know it takes two people to play a game like this. You should know that I' not a very good loser."

Eric once again smirked. The shy transfer girl had been changing over the past few weeks. She had been getting bolder and speaking her mind more, but this...

This is the end of her personality transformation. She's gone from quiet shy girl to brave and fearless dauntless. A welcomed change. Eric looked at the towel clad girl and spoke few words to her before he completely ascended the stairs.

"Game on stiff, can't wait for the next round."


	6. Chapter 6

Hello my loves~ A million thanks to the wonderful PM message I received! It was truly inspiring and majorly helpful with my motivation for this story, you know who you are. :) So here we are, a brisk five days later with another chappie! So remember to read, review and if your feeling a little nice, shoot me a PM.

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"Wait, you training was cancelled too? Why?" Ariel's little encounter with Eric that morning hadn't been her only surprise of the day. Shorty after she was dressed and waiting patiently in the training room, Four came running up to her and let her know that everything was cancelled for today, though he never specified why. She didn't know that it also meant the same for the dauntless born initiates.

Now she sat in the large lunch hall with several other members of the faction. The voices were loud and echoed off the concrete walls and the laughter's and hollers caused a smile to form on Ariel's face. This faction was so different from Abnegation. They were happy, carefree and adventurous! A welcomed change from Ariel's old life back in the quiet and scared life of Abnegation.

"Yea girl! It's pretty awesome." Danni laughed out with joy before shoving a piece of toast into her mouth, watching as her brother Ophir literally walked over several people before sitting down in front of the two hungry girls. Over the past month that Ariel had been training she had grown incredibly close to few people. Danni, Ophir, and to her surprise Four. Eric was now a work in progress with the stupid game that they were playing. Now that she thought about it, she hadn't seen Eric since that morning. He must be part of the reason that everything was cancelled. Must be some leadership stuff.

"You know sis, she's been here awhile and she's not even got her first tat or piercing. She doesn't look like much of a dauntless right now." Ariel watched as Ophir smirked from across the table, taking a drink of water from his silver mug and staring Ariel down with a playful look.

"Excuse me, I was getting to it! Not like I've had much time lately to get it done. Since I'm the only transfer Four has been working me hard along with the other trainers. My body feels like jello all the time." Danni and Ophir laughed and Ariel received a pat on the back from her only girl friend in the faction so far.

"Well, there isn't anything to do today! Come on, go get changed and we'll meet you back in here. Can't go to the tat parlor in your training clothes." Danni noted, finishing off her plate of breakfast in lightening speed and filling it with more food than before.

"Yea ok. I'll be back in a few." Ariel arose from her seat and brought her tray over to a large table and sat it down with the rest of the ones that were there. She made several twists and turns before finding herself at the entrance to the transfers housing stairs. She was about to take the first step down when she heard a loud clanking noise coming from the one place she vowed never to enter.

Eric's apartment.

"Don't even think about it. Just go get changed and meet back with Danni and Ophir." Taking the first step down the stairs the clanking noise was heard again and Ariel gave out a deep sigh of agitation. She lowered her head and threaded her fingers through a few loose strands of her hair, contemplating her next actions very carefully.

"Great." Ariel slowly crept over to the large door that was the entrance to Eric's apartment. Placing a delicate hand on the metal structure Ariel saw that it had a long and thin pane of glass from the door knob and up to the top of the door. Rolling her eyes to herself she gradually leaned her head forward, peeking inside and seeing the interior of Eric apartment.

It looked pretty regular. Tall windows stood from floor to ceiling and a low bed stood by one of the windows. Ariel looked in awe at the sheer size of his living quarters. A bed, giant closet, bathroom, desk, small living room, and goodness knows what else stood within the apartment that was equally as big as the entire transfer housing, if not bigger.

_Clank. Clank. Clank._

There was that noise again. Ariel looked around for a few moments until she saw the source of the intriguing clanking noise. It was Eric. He was in the corner of the room at a large area that was totally dedicated to working out. Bench presses and punching bags and leg lifts! All types of work out equipment and Eric was owner of them all. As of now he sat on a large bench and was lifting weights by pulling down on a handle.

Ariel's eyes were transfixed on the muscular body that sat before her eyes. He was in loose sweatpants, the same ones he wore this morning and no shirt. Ariel noticed that he had two matching tattoos along the sides of his abs in the same pattern that was on his neck.

His stomach tightened and his arms bulged with every pull of the weights, yet his face stayed the same. He averted his gaze from the ground and to the door and Ariel quickly ran from the door and down into the transfer housing. Her heart was beating erratically and her breath came in short pants, her face flushed with embarrassment.

"Well that was stupid, Ariel!" While scolding herself, Ariel began to change into more comfortable clothes. She wore tight black pants, a set of combat looking boots and a form-fitting tank top that moved with her body, rather than constrict it like her training clothes did. Folding her worn clothes Ariel heard that same clanking noise coming from Eric's room and she inwardly groaned. S had to walk past his door to get to the transfer housing and now the urge to sneak a peek every time would eat her alive!

Why did she find that attractive? Why did she find him incredibly good looking and handsome? No idea, but the thought of their game suddenly became very enticing to her. Ariel finished her clothes, adjusted her hair and made sure the band was still tight on the end before jogging up the stairs and crashing into something. A hot and sticky something.

"Better watch it stiff." Ariel came face to face with a sweaty chest and she felt large hands holding her shoulders so she wouldn't tumble back. Eric's gaze looked down at her with a blank expression and she stared up with an equal one.

"Yea. I'd hate to get in _trouble_..." Ariel placed her hands on top of Eric's and gently slid them from her bare shoulders, her eyes lingering on his as she did so. She turned her back to him and walked off without a word, leaving Eric slightly speechless as he stared at her swaying hips. Such a simple action and yet she had won round two of their game.

"Well played..." Eric mumbled to himself, walking off to an area of his own and sliding a shirt on over his torso. Ariel on the other hand quickly made her way back to the lunch hall where Danni and Ophir were waiting. She walked up to Danni and went stiff when Danni pointed out her neck.

"Ariel! Is that a hickey!" Ariel quickly brought her hand up to her neck, forgetting about the lingering incident from that morning. She was going to KILL him the next time she saw him.

"No! No, it's not a hickey. I was training with Four and got hit by a stray rubber ball. I know it looks pretty bad." Ariel attempted to stay calm and slowly brought her hand down and laughed. She cursed herself for not bringing her jacket when she felt a slight tap on her shoulder.

"Here." Looking back, Ariel saw Four with her jacket in his hands. "I'm really sorry, it does look pretty bad."

Ophir patted Four on the back and smirked down at Ariel. "Geez Four, was you trying to take her head off!"

"No. Turns out trying to practice your aim with a rubber ball has a ricochet effect on the target." Four mumbled out, giving a curious glance over to Ariel and receiving a glare back.

"You guys go ahead and start going to the parlor, I need to talk to Four about my training for a few since it was cancelled today. I'll catch up." Ariel gave a happy smile to the siblings and they shrugged their shoulders before heading out.

"A rubber ball? They will never buy that. What happened?" Four watched as Ariel slid on the jacket he had picked up for her and she rolled her eyes at the thought.

"Something stupid. How did you know that I was wanting my jacket anyways?"

"I see more than you think." Ariel's body froze when Four had said that and he saw her sudden change in attitude. "Don't worry, I may see a lot but I keep it to myself. Just watch yourself around him, he's known to play games." Four gave a wink to Ariel before walking off and conversing with the very man that she was playing said game with.

Eric eyed her down and smirked when he saw her pull up the collar of her jacket. Ariel gave him and face and began to follow Ophir and Danni. The tattoo parlor wasn't very far from the lunch area, in fact one could say that they were right next to each other.

Ariel walked to the entrance and was immediately greeted by an array of flashing lights and the sound of catchy loud music. She saw Danni and Ophir by a large column that housed several pieces of yellow glass with black designs on them.

"Danni! Ophir!" Ariel walked over to the pair and began looking at the multiple columns and walls and tables that all had different designs of tattoos she could get.

"Ok let me break this place down for you." Ophir leaned in close so Ariel could hear and explained how everything worked. "You pick a glass pane and take it over to one of the artists, they transfer it to a pad like thing and literally burn the ink to your skin. Don't worry, it doesn't hurt. I think you ask them for something custom too, but I don't know how long it'll take."

"Yea, when they used to do it the traditional way with actual needles, that hurt! So pick one out!" Danni and Ophir stood back and gave Ariel some room to browse the area for a tattoo that she wanted. After about ten minutes of looking, Ariel saw two across the way that seemed to speak to her.

One was a sun. Instead of flames reaching out from the core, it was feathers and the core itself was like a subtle swirl. It was different and beautiful at the same time. The other one was a moon with the same type of feathery pattern making up the surface. The sun and the moon, the light and the dark. In a funny way she was the light to Eric's dark thoughts so Ariel figured that it was a fitting match.

"Danni! I want these!" Danni gave a thumbs up and pointed Ariel up to a platform where several artist were waiting.

"But I don't have any money."

Danni gave a playful scoff and patted her on the back. "Everything you get here is free. Dauntless is big about freedom of expression and we encourage the modification of our bodies. It wouldn't make sense to charge for freedom." Danni laughed and watched as Ariel ascended the platform with two plates in her hands.

"Hey, over here! I'm open!" Ariel saw a young boy with buzzed blonde hair and a single sleeve of geometric designs on his left arm. He had two piercings on his lower lips at the corners and amazingly kind looking eyes. "I haven't seen you around here before. What's your name?"

Ariel sat down on a chair and handed the pieces of glass to the boy when he asked for them. "My name is Ariel. And you?"

"Oh! You're the single transfer for this year! You've been getting some major props little lady! I even heard that you took down Toja the other day. My names Kol, by the way. Where did you want these?" Ariel showed Kol both of her wrist and pointed to the flat underside where her veins ran.

"I want the sun on the right and the moon on the left please. Why is it such a big deal that I beat Toja? He was a jerk to me the minute I stepped in the ring, he deserved what I gave him. And what do you mean I'm getting props?" Ariel had to talk slightly loud since Kol's station was located right next to a speaker.

"It's just unusual. Transfers don't perform as well as you are so quickly. But then again, transfers don't get one on one training with the legendary Four. Now this may tingle for a minute. Give me your left arm." Kol had transferred the moon image onto a pad like thing and placed it centered on Ariel's wrist. She saw him press and button and like he said, she felt a small stinging sensation. After three minutes, she had watched the timer that Kol had set out, he removed the pad a revealed the moon on her wrist.

"That's amazing." Ariel gazed at her new tattoo and was thoroughly pleased. "Yup, when we used needles, it took forever and hurt a lot worse. Give me your other arm now." Ariel complied and watched as Kol placed the sun on her other wrist.

"Let me ask you something. Do you also do custom tattoos?" Kol shot her a smile and pressed the button as well as starting the timer.

"Of course. What did you have in mind?" Ariel was silent for a moment before she replied with a sheepish smile. "A tree. I know it's very Amity like, but it has special meaning to me."

"No problem with that." Kol removed the pad and revealed the sun in all of its beauty.

"Thank you, I love them!" Ariel was elated with joy and she looked over to Kol, seeing him getting a sketch pad out along with a pencil. "These are free...right? Even custom?"

"Yea, absolutely! We here at dauntless love to express ourselves through modification. Can't charge for freedom can we?" Ariel smiled at the seemingly familiar words she had heard from Danni only moments ago. "Now, tell me about this tree. I'll draw it out and we will go from there."

Ariel scooted closer to Kol and began to describe the tree that her mother and father met at. Yes this tree meant a lot to Ariel because without it, she probably wouldn't even exist. "Ok, I like the style of the Amity tree where it shows the roots and everything, but I don't want any leaves on it. Not necessarily like a completely dead tree, but more of a coming of life type deal. Also I want my parents names in the branches somewhere."

"Ok what's their names?" Kol was busily sketching away and Ariel watched as her vision literally came to life. "My mom's name was Ella. E-L-L-A. And my dad's was Jon, J-O-N."

Kol began drawing upwards toward the top of the paper, writing out the names with precise accuracy and texture that related to the branches of the tree.

"Alright, this is rough but it's a start." Kol presented the tree to Ariel and she smiled brightly. It's just like I pictured! There's a few more things I want to add though."

"Ok, now how big are you wanting this to be? Like an ankle tattoo? Between the shoulder blades, on the stomach or what?" Kol held the sketchpad, looking at the small girl before him as she pondered the placement of such an important tattoo.

Ariel gave a deep sigh before a small smile formed on her face. "I was thinking more along the lines of my entire back."

Kol blew out a puff of air and checked the time on his watch. "And you were wanting to add something else to it?"

"Yup!"

"I'm going to need some help..."


End file.
